The exchange of packetized information in broadband communication systems or telecommunications networks, both in fixed-line as in wireless communication systems (or fixed-line communication networks and mobile communication networks) has already grown dramatically and probably will also grow in the future due to the rapid spread of different data services in such communication networks.
Typically, such client devices use a network connectivity link provided by a customer premises equipment device that connects the client device to a telecommunications network. Such network connectivity to a telecommunications network is typically required in order to provide internet-based services and applications to the client devices to fulfill people's needs in areas such as communication, banking, shopping, information, education and entertainment. Hence, high performance internet access solutions are an important prerequisite. Currently, in most cases, residential customers use wireline technologies (such as digital subscriber line (DSL) or Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)) for Internet access, whereas mobile customers use cellular technologies (such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) or Long-Term Evolution (LTE)).
Telecommunications service providers continuously seek to provide ever more bandwidth in access networks in order to cater for enhanced bandwidth (or bit rate) needs (or needs regarding other quality-of-service parameters, such as low latency, low bit error probability, etc.) of their customers. This led to the development of multiple technologies for grouping local links (e.g. ATM IMA (Asynchronous Transfer Mode Inverse Multiplexing for ATM) or Ethernet LAG (Link Aggregation)) as well as for providing link bundling/aggregation across multiple network domains by enabling such bundling on higher network layers (e.g. multilink PPP (Point to Point Protocol). As the internet protocol is considered to be or to become the common protocol layer upon which communication services are provided, approaches exist for providing internet protocol connectivity access over multiple access links, i.e. providing such a bundling of different access links on the internet protocol layer. Hybrid access schemes (e.g. developed in the Broadband Forum) are an example thereof, where an access line in the fixed line domain is bundled together with a radio link in order to provide more aggregate bandwidth or a higher overall bit rate. The resulting bundled link provides the internet protocol connectivity.
However, the implementation of known hybrid access schemes is comparatively complex and involves a lot of redundancy regarding different functions, such as, e.g., the use of a plurality of internet protocol addresses as well as typically three internet protocol edge functions (for instance and in case of a hybrid access scheme bundling a DSL (digital subscriber line) or fixed line internet protocol access with a mobile (LTE, Long Term Evolution) access, internet protocol edge functionality is provided by the packet gateway (P-GW), the broadband network gateway (BNG), as well as by the hybrid access gateway (HAG)).